Now accepting submissions! Deadline to enter: April 30, 2021
Join us for our 4th annual Endangered Species Youth Art Contest! In celebration of Endangered Species Day (May 21, 2021) Roger Williams Park Zoo is accepting art entries from local K-12 grade students and homeschoolers in the New England area depicting threatened/endangered species. Endangered Species Day is an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of protecting endangered species, their habitats, and learn what we can do to help protect them. See below for complete contest guidelines, past winners, prize packages, and submission instructions.
Thank you to our co-Sponsor
- All entries are to be submitted electronically.
- Students’ artwork must be original. Computer-generated and traced images will NOT be judged.
- All artwork must depict threatened/endangered species.
- Each art entry must also include a short explaination as to why saving your chosen species/subject from extinction is important.
- Deadline: Entries must be received by April 30, 2021. Late entries will not be judged.
Please Note: All artwork becomes the property of Roger Williams Park Zoo. Submission of the artwork grants the Zoo a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish your student’s/child’s artwork in our editorial, educational, and promotional print and digital materials, and on social media. All published artwork will be credited "Artist’s Name.”
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GRAND PRIZE: A Roger Williams Park Zoo family membership (a $129 value), and a $100 gift card to Jerry's Artarama of Providence.
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GRADE CATEGORY WINNERS: (Grades K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12) Each grade-winner shall receive a family four (4) pack of tickets to RWPZoo and a $25 gift card to Jerry's Artarama of Providence.
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HONORABLE MENTIONS: (Grades K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12) Each grade-honorable mention shall receive an award certificate.
All winners will have their artwork custom framed by Jerry's Artarama of Providence and will be displayed in the Zoo's Hasbro's Our Big Backyard exhibit until May 2022. Artwork will also be highlighted on the Zoo's website and social media pages, and in the Zoo's summer WILD Magazine issue.
The Zoo's 3nd annual art contest received over 250 art submissions from talented local students from all across New England! Each child detailed the importance of saving endangered/threatened species and a passion for conserving wildlife. A huge round of applause to everyone who submitted! Check out the winning artwork displayed in the Zoo's Hasbro's Our Big Backyard.
2020 Grand Prize Winner:
Why is saving this species important to you? Sumatran Orangutans are critically endangered mostly because of habitat loss. Their habitat is being destroyed by human activity to be converted to palm oil plantations. Saving orangutans are important because they play a vital role in seed dispersing to create a healthy environment. Even though numbers of population are decreasing, we still have a chance to stop extinction if we start now.
2020 Winning Entries by Grade Category:
Why is saving this species important to you? "I really like Koala Bears because they're so cute."
Why is saving this species important to you? When I was born, the little brown bat was one of the most common bats in North America. Now they are in danger of going extinct because of a disease called white-nose syndrome. White-nose syndrome is caused by a fungus and has no cure. The little brown bat is very important for controlling the insect population. It is an amazing animal and we are so lucky to have it on our planet and we should try to keep it here.
Why is saving this species important to you? Red wolves are very important to save because they are very unique in that they are half coyote and half wolf. Wolves are a keystone species that are extremely important to maintain a balance in an ecosystem. Wolves can restore ecosystems to healthy levels.
Why is saving this species important to you? A century ago, 50,000 to 80,000 tigers roamed India alone. However, today, a mere 3,500 tigers are thought to remain worldwide. Even with protection under various laws and regulations, the tiger population is still dwindling. The burden of this issue lies upon tiger poachers as tiger parts are desired for medicinal purposes in several cultures. Attention needs to be brought to this matter before it becomes too late.
Grade Category Semi-finalists:
Why is saving this species important to you? The red wolf is important for our ecosystem. They also bring in tourists to the areas they live in which helps bring in money for those areas.
Why is saving this species important to you? It is important to save the Red Panda because they are such a gentle kind animals. When I look at them it give me warm fuzzy feeling. If we don't protect now the future generations will not be able to enjoyed the special privilege like I have now. I draw this picture so I can enjoyed It at house when I want to see it.
Why is saving this species important to you? Although the West Indian Manatee does not really have any natural predators, their population is decreasing. This is due to hazards such as collisions with boats, and the destruction of their nesting sites due to developments built along waterways. These manatees play an important role in their ecosystem, which is why it is important that we don't let them go extinct. They're considered a keystone species, meaning that they help many other organisms in their environment, and if they were to go extinct, it would have a large, negative effect on their ecosystem.
Why is saving this species important to you? The New Zealand Sea Lion is one of the rarest breeds in the species history, and according to the New Zealand Department of Conservation has a population of around only 12,000. One of the most threatening things to this breed are fisheries that operate within or around the foraging area of the Sea Lions. They are known to accidentally capture these creatures when hunting fish for commercial use, and this often results in death. Greater safety protocols are needed to help save these gentle giants from the very possible extinction they are facing.
Thank you again to everyone who entered and congratulations to the winning artists! We look forward to next year's Art Contest for even more talented submissions.
The Zoo's 2nd annual art contest received over 220 art submissions from talented local students from all across New England! Each child detailed the importance of saving endangered/threatened species and a passion for conserving wildlife. A huge round of applause to everyone who submitted! Check out the winning artwork displayed in the Zoo's Hasbro's Our Big Backyard.
2019 Grand Prize Winner:
Why is saving this species important to you? Pangolins are one of the most trafficked mammals in the world, yet nobody knows about them. According to WildAid.org, over 100,000 pangolins are poached from the wild, and the number living in the wild is dwindling. The beautiful, large scales that cover their bodies are the reason for poaching; they have been used in many traditional medicines in both Asia and in Africa. Pangolins are classified as an endangered species, and the only way to stop them from becoming extinct is by raising awareness of their existence.
2019 Winning Entries by Grade Category:
Why is saving this species important to you? It is important to save Amur Leopard because it will keep the food chain balanced.
Why is saving this species important to you? We should protect Atelopus varius and any endangered species because they are all important to the food chain. Because if an animal becomes extinct, then the food chain will be unbalanced. If the food chain is unbalanced, everything will be chaos, that is why we have to protect endangered animals.
Why is saving this species important to you? Saving the American Burying Beetle is important to me because Rhode Island is one of the few states that this species still survives in. They are decomposers of dead plants and animals which is very helpful to the ecosystem. They also feed on fly eggs and larvae which keeps the fly population down.
Why is saving this species important to you? Amur Leopards are now classified as a critically endangered species, and this is largely caused by humans. They are commonly the victims of poaching by humans for their pelts. It is important that we recognize that humans have had a major role in the endangerment of this animal. With less than 100 amur leopards left, it is crucial that we take action to save this species
Grade Category Semi-finalists:
Why is saving this species important to you? It’s important to not use their fur because they are almost going to be extinct. I don’t want them to get hurt and die. It’s important to not kill animals. I love to watch red pandas and I feel happy when they are around.
Why is saving this species important to you? I think saving chimpanzees is important because they can teach us a lot of things. They are also very nice animals if you are nice to them. If you do not harm them they won't harm you!
Why is saving this species important to you? Saving all endangered animals is important to our environment. With over 100 types of marsupials, tree kangaroos are one of the most endangered. The Matschie Tree kangaroo is endangered because people are cutting down the trees they live in and also hunting them for food and for their fur. If we want a healthy environment we need to protect all wildlife and their habitats. I also think they are really cute!
Why is saving this species important to you? The call of the indri reverberated in my soul when I first heard it through the perspective of the BBC series Planet Earth II (which, when I discovered it, I watched rather obsessively). I saw from a screen the indri’s sharp and expressive stare, rich with the colors of the place it calls home, and its eyes spoke to me more deeply than any human word ever could. The local people of Madagascar say that the indri are our brothers, and their call is so haunting because it reminds us that we once depended on the forest, too, and that one day we must return to the world we have abandoned.
Thank you again to everyone who entered and congratulations to the winning artists! We look forward to next year's Art Contest for even more talented submissions.
In celebration of Endangered Species Day, Roger Williams Park Zoo, hosted its first ever Endangered Species Youth Art Contest in 2018. The Zoo received over 150 art submissions from talented local students from all across New England! Each child detailed the importance of saving endangered/threatened species and a passion for conserving wildlife. A huge round of applause to everyone who submitted! Check out the winning artwork displayed in the Zoo's Hasbro's Our Big Backyard.
2018 Winning Entries by Grade Category:
2018 Grade Category Semi-finalists:
Thank you again to everyone who entered and congratulations to the winning artists! We look forward to next year's Art Contest for even more talented submissions.